RAND's Teacher Bonus Research Recognized by U.S. Dept. of Education

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teacher wearing green sweater talking to elementary students

September 24, 2013

The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences recognized a RAND report on the effects of teacher bonuses in New York City public schools last week.

IES added the report, A Big Apple for Educators, to its What Works Clearinghouse™, which evaluates research in order to provide credible and reliable evidence to support informed decisionmaking on education policy.

A Big Apple for Educators meets the What Works evidence standards “without reservation,” becoming one of very few education reports to receive this honor. The report also received the American Educational Research Association's 2012 Outstanding Policy Report (Short Report) award.

The RAND-led research team found that under its current design, New York City's pay-for-performance program did not improve student achievement or teachers' reported attitudes, perceptions, or behaviors. The study is just one in RAND's extensive portfolio on this topic, which also includes the nation's first randomized experiment to test teacher incentive pay.

— Pete Wilmoth